Shutoff alarm



May 15, 1951 c. JAUC'H 2,552,790

SHUTOFF ALARM Filed April 2, 1945 /1 CW/Q/ST/AA/ k/A 06/7 Patented May 15, 1951 SHUTOFF ALARM Christian J auch, Winsted, Conn., assignor to William L. Gilbert Clock Corporation, Winsted, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application April 2, 1945, Serial No. 586,075

4 Claims. (01. 58-2115) This invention relates to alarm clocks and more particularly to means for shutting oil the alarm of such clocks.

Alarm clocks as now commonly made are provided with levers, plungers, or other manipulative elements for manually movin the alarm shut-off device to operative position when it is desired to stop ringing of the alarm, and these are found objectionable in that such manipulative elements are hard to locate in the dark, particularly when one is suddenly awakened from a sound sleep. Also, with the present arrangements, it frequently happens that the users of the alarm clock, when setting the same for operation at a predetermined time, will wind the alarm spring but forget to move the shut-off device to an inoperative position with the result that in the morning the alarm will not be sounded.

The aim of the present invention is to provide an improved arrangement wherein the above and other objections to alarm shut-offs as heretofore constructed will be avoided.

More particularly, an aim of the invention is to provide a simple, economical and efiective arrangement by means of which the alarm of the clock can be shut off by simply inverting the clock from an upright position whereafter the clock may be returned to its upright position, and in which position the alarm will remain shut off; the arrangement further being such that the shut-off device is automatically released from operative position during the operation of winding the alarm spring.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top elevational view of the alarm system, the casing and time mechanism being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a rear plan View of the alarm mechanism with the shut-off device disengaged;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the shut-off device disengaged;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the shut-off device in engaged position;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of another embodiment of the device, shown in engaged position;

Fig. 6 is a side view of the mechanism shown in Fig.5;

Fig. 7 is a partial detail view of the arrangement shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a partial rear view of the clock showing the mechanism with a casing; and

Fig. 9 is a side view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 8.

It will be apparent, as the description proceeds, that my improved shut-off device may be employed in connection with clocks of various sorts. Therefore, only portions of an alarm clock are shown in the drawing, the time mechanism being omitted as it may be of any suitable construction. The clock may have a casing l9 within which is located the usual frame having a front plate l l and a rear plate l2 secured in spaced relation by pillars IS. The alarm system is of a conventional type and may comprise an alarm spring 14, the opposite ends of which are respectively connected to a pillar l3 and to a winding shaft l5. Carried by this shaft is a gear I6 meshing with a pinion H which carries a toothed or verge wheel I8. Mounted for oscillating movement against the verge wheel is a verge l9 carried by a rock shaft 20, the ends of which are suitably journaled in the frame plates H and I2. Carried by the rock shaft 20 is a clapper arm or hammer 2i adapted to strike a bell or similar resonant device (not shown) for sounding the alarm. Also extending laterally from the rock shaft is a stop arm 22.

Any suitable settable means, operatively connccted to the time movement, may be employed for controlling the operation of the alarm train in order that the alarm may be given at any selected time. By way of example, in the present instance there is shown a leaf spring 3% secured at one end to the front frame plate El and having, at its free end, a rearwardly bent finger 3| adapted to cooperate with the stop arm 22 to hold the alarm inoperative. The numeral 33 designates the usual alarm set shaft on which is mounted, for rotary and slidable movements, a gear wheel 3t adapted to be driven by the time mechanism (not shown) in the usual manner. Fixed to the shaft 33 is a disk 35 having a notch 36 in its periphery adapted to receive a cam 3'! carried by the slidable gear wheel at. The leaf spring 30 urges the gear wheel 3e outwardly towards the disk 35. The forward end of the set shaft 33 will, of course, be provided with the usual indicating hand (not shown) for designating the time at which the alarm is set to go off. It will be understood that, with this arrangement, the finger 3! of the leaf spring 39 will lie in the path of the movement of the stop arm 22 associatedwith the verge, and thus prevent turning of the alarm train so long as the cam 31 of the gear wheel 34 is not in the notch of the disk 35. When the time arrives for the alarm to go off, the gear wheel 34 will have been turned by the time train to a position where the cam will ride into the notch of the disk 35, where upon the end 3| of the leaf spring is free to move forwardly out of engagement with the stop arm 22, and that arm now being released, the alarm train will be driven by the alarm spring I4.

Referring now to the improvements of the present invention, the shut-off device comprises a gravity operated member C arranged to move, under the force of gravity, into lockingengagee ment with one of the toothedmembers of the gear train, in the present instance the verge wheel, when the clock is turned to an inverted position, the shut-off being frictionally retained in looking relation with such toothed member by the forces present in the alarm system when the clock is again-turned to upright position. Further, said shut-off device is adapted to automatically move out of locking relation to the gear train during the operation of winding the alarm spring or, if desired, the shut-off member may be manually disengaged from the gear train. In the present illustrative disclosures of the invention, the shut-oil device is in the form of a plate 39 suitably mounted for vertical sliding movement towards and away from the verge wheel, the plate having a stop'finger 453 projecting across the plane of the verge wheel and adapted to be moved into and out of locking relation with the teeth thereof. Projecting rearwardly from the plate is astem 4! which extends through aslot 42 (see Figs. 8 and 9) in the back wall of the casing lllso that the shutoff may be manually manipulated. In the embodiment shownin Figs. l-to 4, the stop finger 40 and the stem 4| are provided by a pin fixedly extending through the plate 39. In the embodiment shown in Figs. and6, the stop finger 4B constitutes a projection which is integral with the plate 39, and the stem 4| is formed by striking out a lug fromthe body portion of the plate. In order to support the shut-01f deviceior movement into and out of operativeposition under the force of gravity, the plate 39 is provided with a vertical slot 43 through which extends a stud 44 fixed to the rear frame plate l2. It will be observed, particularly from Figs. 4 and 5, that when the shut-off device is in operative position, the finger 4G is engaged between one of the teeth of the verge wheel and one end portion of the verge so that the verge wheel is prevented from turning. As a further precaution against rotation. of theplate by the verge wheel, one side edge of the plate 39 may be in slidable engagement with one of the pillars 13, as shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of the shut-off device will be readily understood from the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. When the parts are in the operative positions shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the spring I4 is tending to drive the verge wheel in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. '7, and, due tothe pressure exerted by the verge wheel against the stop finger, the shut-off device is frictionally held in its upper position against the force of gravity. If the shaft I5 is now turned in a direction to wind the spring (an operation which is almost invariably carried out when one sets the alarm for operation at a predetermined time), there is a tendency toturn the verge wheel in a clockwise direction, referring to Figs. 4, 5,, and 7, thus relieving the stop finger 40 from the pressure of the verge wheel with the result that the shut-off device is free to drop down to the inoperative position shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Thus, the likelihood of the user of the clock forgetting to move the shut-off device to inoperative position is eliminated. When the alarm goes off at the time set, it is only necessary for the sleeper to grab the clock and invert it, whereupon, under the force of gravity, the shut-off device will move downwardly to a position where aside of one of the teeth of the verge wheel will bear against the stop finger 40. The clock may now be turned toupright position with the assurance that, due to the frictional engagement of the verge wheel against the pin 40, the shut-off will remain inoperative position. Of course, if desired, the shut-ofi device may be manually moved into and out of operative position by manipulating the stem '42 from the rear of the clock.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to ialltherebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. An alarm clock comprising an alarm spring, a verge wheel and a gear train therebetween, and an oscillating verge cooperating with said verge wheel, in combination with a shut-off device comprising a plate having a-stop finger engageable directly between a tooth of said verge wheel and said verge when the shut-off device is in operative position, and means for supportingsaid plate for slidable movement within its own plane under the force of its own gravity into operative position when the clock' is inverted and for movement under the force of its owngravity out of operative position when the clock is in upright position and the pressure of the verge wheel against said finger is relieved.

2. An alarm clock comprising an alarm spring, a verge wheel and a gear train therebetween, and a verge cooperating with said verge wheel; in combination with a shut-01f device comprising a plate having a normally vertical slot, a stop finger projecting from said plate and adapted toengage directly theforward face of a tooth of said verge whentheshut-ofi" device is in operative position, and a manipulative stem extending rearwardly from the plate, and a fixed stud extending through said slot for supporting said plate for sliding movement towards and away from said wheel under the force' of its own gravity.

3. A clock having an alarm system comprising a spring and a clapper with a gear train therebetween, said gear train comprising a toothed wheeLin combination with a shut-ofi device comprising an integral member mounted for slidable longitudinal movement under'the force of its own gravity and having a locking portion movablether'ewith.into and out of direct engagement with the teeth of said wheel when the clock is respectively turned into inverted and upright positions, the pressure of said spring through said gear train acting to frictionally maintain said shut-oil member in engagement with said wheel against the force of gravity of said member when the clock'is in upright position until the pressure of said spring is released upon winding of the spring, and means engageable with said integral member to guide it during its slidable movement in opposite directions.

4. A clock having an alarm system comprising a spring, a verge wheel and a gear train therebetween, in combination with a shut-01f device comprising an integral member mounted for 1 slidable longitudinal movement under the force of its own gravity when the clock is turned into inverted position from an inoperative position into an operative position wherein a portion of said member is in direct engagement with the forward face of a tooth ofsaid wheel, and in which operative position said shut-off device is frictionally held by the pressure of the spring 6 acting through the gear train after the clock is returned to upright position, said integral mem her being mounted for free movement by its own gravity downwardly out of engagement with the teeth of said wheel when the clock is in upright position and the pressure of the spring on said verge wheel is released.

CHRISTIAN JAUCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 667,320 Junghans Feb. 5, 1901 1,120,030 Cook Dec. 3, 1914 1,148,969 Kern Aug. 3, 1915 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 494,079 Germany Mar. 18, 1930 527,759 Germany June 20, 1931 

